The Bangladesh government allocates special grants to bolster the Bengali film industry, every year. For the financial year 2023-24, the government has decided to support about 20 full-length films across four categories. Out of these, 16 films will each receive a grant of Tk 75 lakhs, while the remaining four will be awarded Tk 50 lakhs each.

However, a perk this year is that the grant committee has finalised a short story by celebrated fiction writer Humayun Ahmed for a grant. The story, titled "Lobh", will be adapted into a film by the talented director Sanjoy Somadder.

As per the government notification released earlier today, Pinky Akhtar is set to produce the film, while the production team will receive Tk 75 lakhs as its funding.

Director Sanjoy Somadder expressed his sentiment to Kaler Kantho, stating, "This is wonderful news for us. We are particularly excited to adapt 'Lobh', a work by our all-time favourite writer Humayun Ahmed, into a film. We aim to make our mark on world cinema with this project."

He expressed his intention to handle the movie with great care, adding that they had systematically secured permission from Humayun Ahmed's family before submitting it for a grant.

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20 films, 6 short films receive government grant 2023-2024

According to sources, the director is set to begin filming in the upcoming August-September months. However, the cast has not yet been finalised. 

Sanjoy Samaddar directed "Manush" in Kolkata last year, marking his debut in the Indian film industry. His recently released web-film "Poison" is available for streaming on Deepto Play.